Yes, it's okay to be cautious, even a bit suspicious. But you don't want your choices to become limited by fear. You don't want to let fear run your life. And it can easily happen. Here's why. The urban setting. Surveillance often occurs in an urban setting. Offices. Homes. Streets. Sidewalks. Motels. Restaurants. Neighborhoods. Surveillance is urban conflict. It's that simple. As soon as you become aware you're being watched, surveillance becomes urban conflict. A number of governments have done research into urban conflict. Why? Because governments create urban conflict with their security service, undercover cops, and other operations. They do research so they can understand how to fully control the urban conflict they create. (Example: intelligence units of US Marines are currently mapping Chicago.) Urban conflict is stressful. Extremely stressful. Here's how it affects the people who are involved. In this discussion we'll refer to them as combatants. 75% of combatants in urban conflicts suffer from an affective disorder. That's shrink-talk for your mood – you're stressed-out, high-strung, on edge. It also includes measureable things like an exaggerated startle reflex, as well as your ability to concentrate and stay focused. 25% of combatants suffer something more serious called a neurotic disorder. That's shrink-talk for anxiety. You're being really cautious, really suspicious – a bit paranoid. And, finally, nearly 10% of combatants have a psychotic episode – forget the shrink-talk for these folks, they're just plain gone. The conclusion? Urban conflict is very stress-inducing for people like cops, narcs, SWAT teams, riot squads, informants, you know the type. It's also stressful for surveillance teams – and for the targets of surveillance. That means people like you and me. This is just part of the unavoidable damage a surveillance team inflicts on you, no matter whether you're guilty or innocent. Here's what you need to do. First, remember that you're not alone. All targets of surveillance go through this. It's natural. It's part of the game. You need to be careful not to fall into the trap of being too suspicious, too cautious. You've got to be careful to avoid becoming one of the 25% who let fear run their lives. Even falling into the 75% category can significantly degrade your ability to function under surveillance. The best way to avoid this? Think things through. Logically. Sensibly. Of course the FBI doesn't want you to do that. The FBI would prefer you let fear make your decisions. Don't let the FBI win that head-game.